Copy

Paris. 18. XI. [1911]

Dear Comrade!

Your letter of 16. XI, which I received today, has given me no satisfactory answer whatsoever—indeed, no answer at all—and consequently I am, unfortunately, compelled to resort to civil court proceedings.

As regards your justification of the protest against the removal of your duties as arbitrator, it is clear from this only that you now have absolutely no right whatsoever to continue holding the money, and are unconditionally obligated to return it to me, since you received the money from me solely for the purpose of submitting the matter to the decision of an arbitration tribunal composed of three designated persons.

I deeply regret—as I hold Kautsky's theoretical activity and your revolutionary position in the German Social-Democratic Party in very high esteem—that I am compelled to expose before the civil court the unprecedented violation of procedures and unlawful actions of the former arbitrators (most likely for entirely understandable reasons: on account of more pressing matters for the Social-Democratic Party). But I can undertake nothing else, since your silence signified that you are rejecting my peaceful proposal.

With party greetings, N. Lenin

Translation from the German

In her letter of 16 November (N.S.) 1911, K. Zetkin reported that, after K. Kautsky declined the duties of "custodian" of the fund transferred to him, F. Mehring, and K. Zetkin in trust, in accordance with the decision of the January Plenum of the CC RSDLP of 1910, she likewise relinquishes her duties as "custodian."

26195

LIST OF DOCUMENTS ON THE QUESTION 
OF THE "CUSTODIAN" MONIES

[November 1911, after the 18th]

IMPORTANT

NB
IMPORTANT

Original documents

1) Letter from Kautsky, Mehring and Zetkin of 30. VI. 1911 1.
2) Letter from Kautsky of 2. X. 1911 2.